Burda Style For people who sew
Description
The creation of this dress was a collaborative effort between Susanne of Fine Fabrics fame, her best friend Cid, and (only the tiniest of parts) me. It was a massive labor of love. We made five muslins before we even began to cut the fashion fabric, after which hours of work were still involved getting everything just right for the wedding.
The dress is cut from a fine silk duchesse imported from Italy. We designed it to have a V-neckline and an empire waist, since both of these features are commonly found in the dresses in my closet. Since I didn’t want to get lost in a sea of fabric, we kept it fitted through the natural waist with the use of horizontal pleats. We added a bit of movement by continuing the pleats through the skirt, making them angle to a deep diagonal through the hip. The skirt of the dress is almost column-like in the front, but it has a lot of volume at the sides and back. Down the entire length of the back are (functional!) self-faced buttons, each of which was hand sewn on.
It was the perfect wedding dress for me. I learned so much about pattern drafting, dress making, and sewing in general during its creation.
More on my blog Sew Well, including photos of most of the muslin stages.
Material Notes
The dress is made of Italian silk duchesse and has several hook-and-eye closures for support and many self-faced buttons for both support and decoration.
Difficulty
Advanced
Categories
Credits
- Photography
- Pattern Drafting, etc.
Cid
- Sewing, etc.
Susanne
- Fabric
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Aug 16, 2011, 09.32 PMby flowergirl22
that is stunning,, and duches sating, woof
Mar 12, 2011, 03.22 AMby runningwithscissors1
Wow! That’s quite the endeavour for your own wedding dress. It looks great. Congrats!
1 Reply
Mar 16, 2011, 12.44 AMby ahearta
Thanks! Though it was a bit stressful at times to make the dress instead of just buying a ready-to-wear dress, I’m glad I did it. It was a great learning experience, and I felt so proud to wear the dress the day of the wedding.
Mar 11, 2011, 01.23 PMby Priscilla Folley
Awesome.
1 Reply
Mar 12, 2011, 02.47 AMby ahearta
Thanks!
Mar 11, 2011, 01.19 PMby anajan
Very very nice! The fit is perfect! Love all the pleats, it’s always a great detail and quite functional since it gives shape to the garment.
1 Reply
Mar 12, 2011, 02.46 AMby ahearta
Thank you. And, yes, the pleats were key. They gave the dress shape and caught the light wonderfully.
Mar 11, 2011, 07.42 AMby redslippers
oh wow- looks amazing!
1 Reply
Mar 12, 2011, 02.45 AMby ahearta
Thanks!
Mar 11, 2011, 05.49 AMby smurfette2010
Great job! Looks professionally made!
2 Replies
Mar 11, 2011, 07.32 AMby kelepso
I agree! Fantastic!
Mar 12, 2011, 02.44 AMby ahearta
Thank you so much!